


Not-Fic: Say "I Love You" but it's Atlas and Luthier

by uncles_sister_pikes



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: M/M, Rarepair, not-fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-02-03 20:52:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12756006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncles_sister_pikes/pseuds/uncles_sister_pikes
Summary: The anti-social Luthier has a chance encounter with the extremely popular Atlas and shenanigans (probably) ensue. This is an idea I keep having but don't have the time nor power to actually write it out





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically formatted like the ideas that one friend on Discord sends you when it's 3 AM ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

So yeah

  * modern AU, luthier's aged down a few years so they can be in the same grade and stuff
  * high school or college idk
  * luthier's a sort of NEET that lives with his grandma/old aunt, spends most of his time in his room playing MMOs or being a complete weeb
  * delthea's like in middle school and she lives with the folks
  * luthier doesn't talk to anyone, really
  * not even to his parents or delthea
  * just his grandma/old aunt, and even then it's mostly small talk
  * no stock bullying but luthier does get made fun of for his hair
  * ~~originally i wanted to make him bullied more...let's say PC but i don't want to insult anyone within the community and i'm too scared to ask questions because what if i say something offensive and stupid when i don’t mean to harm and oh geez i'm getting off topic sorry~~
  * constantly pulled, ripped, it's awful
  * he tried shaving his head at one point but his grandma/old aunt stopped him and told him that his hair was beautiful
  * he doesn't try to shave it anymore but he still considers it hideous
  * delthea also makes fun of him because she's better than him
  * honors program and everything
  * and their parents just spoil her while being all "oh yeah luthier exists"
  * top that off with his nickname “salamander man” because he apparently looks like one? 
  * these kids are missing out salamanders are cool
  * so yeah this guy is pretty much invisible unless people want someone to beat up or make fun of
  * atlas on the other hand is this huge jock that everyone loves
  * basically a college frat boy but done right
  * like a big puppy
  * and he plays either rugby or football or soccer
  * maybe all of them
  * well one day when he's playing he notices luthier's hair and runs up to the fence and is all
  * "WHOA YOUR HAIR'S GORGEOUS"
  * luthier's looking at him like "??? thanks???"
  * internal thoughts: no it's not???
  * atlas tries to introduce himself but luthier just looks bitter and/or uncomfortable
  * the guys atlas plays with are like "dude really that guy's a creep"
  * but atlas is all "nah i think there's more to him"




	2. Chapter 2

chapter 2 electric boogaloo

  * because this is based on say i love you CUE THE MONTAGE OF ATLAS TRYING TO GET TO KNOW LUTHIER BETTER LIKE STANDING NEXT TO HIM WHILE HE'S BROWSING GAMES OR TRYING TO START CONVOS AND LUTHIER BEING ALL "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STALKING ME"
  * "aw i just wanna be friends with you"
  * luthier drives it through atlas' "thick skull"  ~~ _boy's thick in other places too_~~ that he doesn't need friends and it's like mei’s speech about how friends will backstab you
  * another day luthier is online when a new player enters the chat and recognizes him and oh  **no** it's atlas
  * ~~watch him being something like a cat girl~~
  * turns out atlas did his research on the stuff luthier likes and decided to try this out for himself
  * _oh great now i have this idiot who'll cost me valuable quest items_
  * atlas is actually really good at this game
  * not kirito level good but you know enough to impress luthier
  * ~~he won't admit it though~~
  * eventually this prompts luthier to talk to atlas in real life, where every one of atlas' friends look in either shock or disgust
  * maybe both
  * convos happen where luthier learns about atlas having three brothers, playing casual games from here to there when he doesn't have practice/he twists his ankle and can't focus on studying
  * on the other side atlas learns that luthier was overshadowed by delthea the minute she started being more advanced than kids her age, even when his grades were nothing to snuff at
  * ~~is snuff even a word~~
  * and because luthier has the social skills of a dying walrus he didn't bother making friends with people
  * plus have you been to middle school it's like sparta or something
  * atlas has obtained empathy! +100 EXP!
  * but to keep this kind of stuff going without always having to log on though they exchange numbers and now luthier has to deal with atlas' typing
  * ~~good lord so many emojis and misspellings~~
  * also study dates because atlas doesn’t like math
  * as the fic progresses luthier slowly starts to open up, and atlas' heart stops when he sees luthier giggling like oh my  _god_ he's gorgeous and cute what is this
  * BUT IMAGINE LU TAKING ATLAS TO THE PET SHELTER OR SOMETHING TO PET THE CATS HE CAN'T ADOPT BECAUSE HIS GRANDMA/OLD AUNT IS ALLERGIC
  * AND ATLAS BRINGING HIS DOG TO DATES
  * probably a golden retriever named scooter?
  * grandma/old aunt thinks atlas is cute and a good choice for luthier to be his boyfriend
  * way to go grandma/old aunt!
  * eventually it gets to the point where atlas asks to touch luthier's hair and luthier's still unsure but atlas gives this heartfelt speech about him being really beautiful that you'd hear in every cliche romantic plot ever but luthier falls for it and after atlas strokes his hair a bit DIVE IN FOR THE AWKWARD FIRST KISS
  * _oh god what have i done what have i done WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE-_
  * atlas pulls him for a much better kiss and is all "FINALLY"
  * the two nerds are now dating
  * technically they have been ever since luthier spoke to atlas irl but details details




	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's like toy story 3 where the third part comes like a decade later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about this last night because I realized Valentine's Day was coming up and I just know my heart's going to be crushed again like the last 2 years. I've been prepping myself by brainstorming for things I can do on February 9th instead since that's Priam's birthday. BUT IN THE MEANTIME!

  * today's episode: let's meet the families! ...kind of!
  * atlas' parents LOVE luthier
  * they're super friendly to begin with but they're even more glad that atlas found someone he's super proud of
  * that's right you forgot that nerds have a slightly better chance at excelling at school!
  * >note: that statistic is variable depending on the person and it may in fact be a stereotype to say that nerds do better in school. anyone can do well in school, and anyone cannot do well in school. all depends on the person
  * >another note: but it works for luthier in this case
  * for some reason i keep thinking atlas' parents sound like they're from upstate minnesota
  * but yes luthier's all "!!!" that atlas thinks so highly of him outside of their relationship
  * oh yeah and atlas' brothers fortunately aren't at the middle school jock phase yet so they think luthier's really cool and openly say that when they ask him to play video games with them
  * they think it's cooler that he gives them pointers to screw each other over during matches
  * atlas when he sees luthier really enjoying himself: my skin is clear my crops are growing
  * on the other side luthier's nowhere near comfortable going back to his parents and sister to be ridiculed so he re-introduces atlas to old aunt/grandmother
  * she's thrilled that luthier's managed to find someone who makes him feel comfortable and appreciated
  * and it's because of this healthy relationship that luthier actually opens up more to his old aunt/grandmother
  * maybe not a breakthrough where he immediately becomes this suave charmer but you know small things like remembering what his old aunt/grandmother likes
  * and even thinking about joining a club
  * not a physical sports club but an e-sports club
  * at first he's worried that they'd only play FPS games but they also do MMO raids and hey he recognizes catria as someone he went on a raid with once
  * MORE FRIENDS THAT AREN'T CATS!
  * **unwarranted angst: hello**
  * wait wha-
  * so first luthier actually goes to one of atlas' games and you know how dates of players wear their letterman jackets
  * luthier does and the significant others of the team just look at him weirdly and start gossiping right in front of him
  * "omg why's atlas with the salamander man"
  * "is this a pity date"
  * "does he even know what game atlas is playing"
  * luthier sits through it like has other times but boy is a bitter feeling starting to rise in him now
  * which is weird because he should be used to this
  * and when it's halftime he wants to leave but just as he's about to the generic popular bully clique™️ basically tell him to stay in his place if he knows what's good for him and that atlas is way out of his league (i could say fernand and berkut would be in this boat but let's be real they're not jocks. they're hardcore theater kids)
  * so luthier starts to leave a second time and he almost makes it but atlas' mom manages to ask what's wrong
  * "i'm not good enough" is basically luthier's argument
  * "oh honey that's the furthest thing from the truth!"
  * she's doing what his mom stopped doing after delthea came along  _what is this sorcery_
  * that following monday: slanderous grafitti on his locker!
  * but in a shocking twist the generic popular bully clique™️ actually faces the consequences of their actions!
  * luthier's called to vice principal massena's office to find that he's being apologized to
  * and then when he leaves the office VP massena tells him to thank jesse for letting him know about this
  * jesse? who??
  * ...oh yeah he's on atlas' team!
  * isn't he a dudebro though
  * well yeah but he's still looking out for atlas and now luthier
  * bonus stuff that happens later on: luthier's parents and delthea show up for a holiday dinner and atlas calls them out for treating luthier so terribly
  * like how dare they ignore him just because his younger sibling's doing well in school and especially how dare they let delthea just rub salt into that wound by making fun of him whenever he does anything
  * blows up in their faces and everything
  * it actually gets delthea to cry because of how scary he is
  * atlas is worried that he crossed the line with luthier but nope luthier actually ends up cry-laughing because he always wanted to do that




	4. The Conventioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A side bonus because I've been in writer's block hell for my main Awakening fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I go to conventions because of voice actors I want to meet, since I feel I can buy merch online and I don't usually like dealing with crowds. NOW TO SEE HOW OUR BOYS IN ACTION. I call this chapter "The Conventioning"

  * yall remember catria being in the esports club with luthier right
  * (other members i think would include the ram village boyos if they arent doing sports ball, the other whitewings [palla's the president], boey, and mae)
  * so in this AU i like to imagine catria as a closeted otaku while est is haruhi suzumiya incarnate and palla's an actual person with just an interest in animu
  * ANYWAY catria got luthier into some shows she likes to watch (maybe log horizon was his gateway since that's close to MMO stuff without being full wish fulfillment, at least from what i've heard)
  * they get into pose offs when they swear they're alone
  * during one of those moments catria mentioned there's a local con coming up that she and her sisters are gonna go to
  * "it's got overpriced merch, 3-hour long lines for voice actors you'll only get 10 seconds of talking to, and nobody knows the meaning of a shower"
  * "then why go"
  * "cool cosplay shoots for brief internet fame that my sisters and i will do, you actually get exercise from walking, and the merch can actually be pretty decent if you look hard enough. it's like disneyland without the rides"
  * well luthier was never one for roller coasters so that wasn't a problem there
  * a few days later
  * atlas slaps a flyer on the table 
  * oh god it's a flyer for the upcoming convention
  * he looks eager oh no luthieR RUN-
  * "babe we should go!"
  * just as he feared
  * "but it's nerd stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuff"
  * "so? we get to spend time together while you find comfort in something you're familiar with. it's no different than you going to my games. WE CAN EVEN DO A COUPLE COSPLAY HOW GREAT IS THAT"
  * god atlas is like a giant puppy
  * "oh but if you feel really uncomfortable with this then we can do smaller stuff together, like going to the game store or just hanging out here. plus we still got a ways to go until halloween"
  * what a good bf to consider his feelings amirite
  * well thanks to positive encouragement months prior luthier is being less of a dying walrus in social situations, and well he has been meaning to find things to make his room more lively
  * luthier nods and atlas immediately brings out a bunch of paper for them to brainstorm over cosplays
  * originally atlas wanted to go as his MMO character but luthier felt a big buff cat maid would garner too much unwarranted attention
  * likewise luthier originally wanted to go as fafnir from dragon maid because they're both anti-social NEETS with long hair but he didn't want to dye his hair black for that and atlas thought that just wearing a butler suit would be too lazy
  * one day at school est and palla check to see how the two are doing
  * est: "you know you can buy wigs and makeup right"
  * the boys look like their souls just got sucked out of their bodies
  * palla: "if you want you can join us in our final fantasy 15 cosplay idea. est will be iris, i'll be luna, and catria's deciding between cindy, crowe, and aranea"
  * oh my god luthier could be ignis and atlas could be gladio PERFECT
  * est: "i thought we were going to do the high fantasy AU for that sis"
  * palla: "oh right, well you can still be those characters but in more fantasy outfits"
  * PERFECT
  * so we have rogue iris!est, cleric luna!palla, ranger aranea!catria, muskateer/bucaneer!ignis luthier, and paladin gladio!atlas
  * yes i made gladio a paladin instead of a fighter
  * just cuz
  * and while ignis to me is a red mage i think the FF1 red mage looks like a musketeer
  * plus the muskateer/fancy pirate look is just a gotdang aesthetic for me
  * ANYWAY BACK ON TRACK
  * the sisters help the boys with their cosplays, from materials to wig tips (even though luthier's still iffy about his hair being touched atlas is there to help him out) to getting scar makeup 
  * gosh how do these kids have time when there's school
  * DAY ONE OF THE CONVENTION: BROWSING
  * because the first day is usually people checking in and there's not that big of a crowd yet
  * luthier finds some neat posters he'll get back to, but atlas prioritizes that they get a couple keychain set first
  * it's cinnamaroll and mocha from sanrio HOW CUTE (though that reminds me those two are a lot like terriermon and lopmon from digimon)
  * DAY TWO OF THE CONVENTION: SHOW TIME
  * okay for real i'd be embarrassed af to go to a convention in full cosplay if it's super extravagant because of normal people seeing it so i'd like change in the bathroom if i could
  * imagine that for luthier but for practicality (and atlas)'s sake he decides to leeroy jenkins it
  * thankfully he doesn't go into full RP mode like catria might by accident 
  * but yes everyone's like "WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" at their cosplays and there are a bunch of group photos
  * also a bunch of shots of just luthier and atlas together because gladnis heyo
  * some are bummed there's no noctis or prompto but that just means more friends will need to be made/more cosplayers to add to the group in the future
  * plus tobin being prompto would be too obvious voice acting jokes need GRACE
  * and fortunately some stray noctises and promptos show up from time to time
  * some of the folks wanting pics have actually played FFXV and want to know what the cosplay gang think about it while others just think everyone looks cool
  * only real mishaps have been girls asking atlas to touch his bicep (with permission of course and they're cool if he says no) and luthier sweating through his wig
  * before the con ends luthier manages to grab those posters and he genuinely smiles when people compliment his outfit
  * day two is done and everyone has a bad case of con legs
  * you know when you walk/stand around all day and your legs feel like dying
  * they don't bother to go that third day because of that 
  * but honestly this was a lot of fun for all of them, plus luthier got to socialize more and atlas didn't feel weirded out about all the nerd stuff
  * HOORAY
  * maybe they'll do more cons in the future depending if they actually have money because HOO BOY this one was crazy expensive




End file.
